Why so heavily moderated?

I think we need to be careful about characterizing this forum as "public." This site is owned by a private owner, and use of it is granted by a revocable license.

 

"Public Forum" - You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means


You can be bnanned at will for violating the TOS or Rules of thr Forum, i.e. the First Amendment cant save you here.. The site owner and mods have every right to control what content can get posted here. We dont, because we all want people to largely have at it when it comes to discussing topics. But you have no entittlement to say anything you want solely because this is a "public" forum.

EDIT: From the Legal Disclaimer on the TOS page -

 

I completely understand that and from the context you are using it you are not wrong. Traditionally (at least from a legal sense) the term "Public forum" related to a place in society where the full panoply of first amendment protections applied. Those places were generally theld to be he town hall or public square; places where the government had absolutely no right to regulate speech. And yes, the public forum does apply in certain contexts on ther internet. But a privately (i,e, non-governmental) owned board is generally not one of them and is thus not required to provide you with those same first amendment rights. ( Moreover, when you sign up for the account and log-in to post you consent to the terms of the TOS and rules of the JCF.)